This invention relates to packaging and in particular relates to the packaging, storage and transportation of the fruit of actinidia, which is commonly known as "Chinese Gooseberry" or "Kiwifruit". Such fruit will hereinafter be referred to throughout the specification and claims as "Kiwifruit".
Kiwifruit is grown commercially in New Zealand on a relatively large scale and during recent years has been exported in increasingly large quantities. Such exports have involved packaging and transport to numerous countries throughout the world.
The kiwifruit basically includes two varieties commonly known as "Bruno" and "Hayward". The usual practise is to graft wood from good Hayward plants onto seeklings.
While New Zealand is by far the world leader in kiwifruit production there have been significant plants throughout the world in recent years as the extraordinary success of the New Zealand export crops has stimulated interest. In the Southern Hemisphere plantings are recorded in Australia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and these will compete directly with the New Zealand crop in the market. Northern Hemisphere plantings are recorded in United States of America, Italy, France, Japan, Greece, Portugal, Israel, Spain, China (where the original vines grow wild), and the Republic of Korea. All of these countries have received kiwifruit stock plants exported from New Zealand.
The kiwifruit industry and in particular the New Zealand kiwifruit industry has been characterised by the great distance between the grower and market as most of the fruit is exported and sold in the Northern Hemisphere. Thus, it is essential that the fruit arrives at the market in a good condition, ready for sale and use. Thus, it is usually picked before it is fully ripe, and while it is still in a relatively firm condition, it is packed, stored and transported. Usually this is in a carefully controlled temperature environment.
Up until this time, typical packaging used for kiwifruit has included a moulded plastic tray housed in a box such as a shallow box. The moulded plastic tray has included pockets which are let down or moulded from the upper surface of the tray, and which are so shaped as to accommodate kiwifruit in a manner in which their longitudinal axes are substantially co-axial with or horizontal to, the longitudinal axis of or horizontal plane of the surface of the tray. In other words, the kiwifruit have been packed lying on their sides with the longitudinal axes of the kiwifruit being substantially co-axial or parallel with the longitudinal axis of the tray.
In this manner, the sides of the kiwifruit have been exposed in the trays rather than the ends.
It is said that in the early years of production of kiwifruit for export, the fruit was packed for this purpose on a bed of woodwool placed in a common timber or cardboard fruit box.
The fruit was laid on the woodwool to protect it from damage and to provide a pleasing appearance and presentation which was considered an important factor in its marketing.
Right from the infancy of the kiwifruit industry the fruit has always been packed laying on its side in the box, (that is with the longitudinal axis of the kiwifruit being substantially co-axial with or parallel with the horizontal plane of the box). This has continued up until this day. By the mid 1960's the kiwifruit industry in New Zealand had developed to a stage where greater consideration had to be given to the packaging of the fruit. Thus, consideration was given to more efficient packaging and the evolution of a satisfactory grading system for the fruit. As a result of this, the woodwool was discarded from the box and a plastic tray was introduced while the orientation of the fruit with the longitudinal axis substantially co-axial with the longitudinal axis of the box was retained.
The kiwifruit was still packed on its side and the package which included a moulded green plastic tray housed in a shallow box became the common kiwifruit package which could be fairly described as the "industry standard". The same or similar packaging has been adopted in other parts of the world where kiwifruit is now grown.
The kiwifruit is regarded by many as a costly item of food and as a luxury, especially by the time that it reaches export markets. Even in a home market such as New Zealand, kiwifruit is relatively expensive and is considered to be a luxury by the majority of the public. For this reason, kiwifruit is not always eaten as a whole, but is often cut into slices for decoaration such as on cakes, deserts, and the like.
It will be appreciated therefore that any damage to the sides of the fruit is particularly serious from a marketing point of view. Thus, the manner of packaging kiwifruit up until this time, involving kiwifruit lying on their sides with the longitudinal axes thereof substantially co-axial or parallel with the longitudinal axis or horizontal plane of the tray, has involved the sides being damaged, squashed, bruised and the like. Given that the kiwifruit is often sliced transversely across the longitudinal axis of the fruit, into thin slices or wedges (such as for decoration as referred to hereinbefore), such damage can be particularly serious from a marketing point of view.
In addition, because of distances between growers and markets, (both home markets and export markets), storage and transportation costs are major factors in the cost to the consumer. It is important therefore to ensure that packages are as efficient as possible both with respect to the protection of the kiwifruit and with respect to elimination of unused volume. We have found that maximum use is not made of tray area, by lying the kiwifruit down on their sides, with their longitudinal axes substantially co-axial with the transverse or horizontal axis of the trays.
The present invention sets out to provide an efficient and straight forward means for the packaging of kiwifruit.
The present invention also sets out to overcome and at least minimise the problems encountered with packaging kiwifruit up until this time.